Friday, January 21, 2011

Truth and Wisdom

Even though Jesus says he is the Way, the Truth and the Life, when I used to read that verse (John 14:6), I would automatically think it meant: Jesus shows me the Way, helps me understand principles of Truth and gives me eternal Life.

Then, around 10 years ago, Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God taught me that Truth is a Person, that Jesus himself is Truth. This started a revolution in my thinking. I went from trying to follow or imitate Jesus to embracing what he has done in me when he made me new. His very nature of Truth has been written into the DNA of the new creation he has made me. Formerly, as a fallen, sin-bound child of wrath I did not have truth written in my inward parts. I had, rather, the deception and deceit that is the nature of my former father, Satan. This sin nature of deceit is why I could always spot flaws in others but always excuse them in myself.

But now that I have his nature of Truth written upon my new heart, I am aware of both my inherent sinfulness and of his complete redemption of me from the power of sin. Even while I learn to walk in the power of his Spirit, bringing him glory by doing what he shows me to do by his power, I am increasingly aware of my natural, fleshly proclivity to deceit and sin. I have his power now to resist putting others down while excusing myself, but the temptation to do so will be with me until I receive a new, incorruptible body in Glory. So, the very Spirit of Truth that lives within me and makes me able to live in his supernatural power is also a mirror that reveals to me who I am apart from my Redeemer. This is very humbling. I am not even tempted to take any credit for anything good done through me, for all that is good is of him! When I choose sinful disobedience, I can sin really well, but that is certainly nothing to be proud of! I am so thankful that even when I temporarily revert to the old, familiar, deceitful ways, he patiently and kindly brings me back around to abiding in him, as a parent does their child. He is Truth, and He is mine and I am his.

He is so much more as well. I think of all his names given in his Word. He is my Way, my Life, my Savior, my Redeemer, my Righteousness, etc. in the same way he is my Truth. However, it took another Henry, Henry Morris, to help me realize that Christ himself resides in his Wisdom.

I ask God for wisdom all the time. Debi Pearl clued me in on this in her book, Created to Be His Help Meet. She taught me that if I want to be a help meet in God's image, I'll need constant infusions of his wisdom. He says I can pray for wisdom and he will give it liberally. (Note: apart from Christ, we are all very foolish. A fool thinks, in his deceived mind, that there is no God, that he can act apart from God to do what he thinks is right.) However, once again, I was praying for wisdom like I used to think of Truth, seeing it as principles. I was thinking, "He will show me what to do in this situation." While he always does show me what to wisely do in the same way he shows me what is true, I discovered there is so much more!

I was reading the first seven chapters of Proverbs, which is about seeking wisdom, in the Defender's Study Bible, with notes by Henry Morris. His note on Proverbs 3:19: 'The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.', reads: 'Since Christ was the one by whom God founded the earth (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16), this verse makes it clear that in Proverbs, "wisdom" is actually personified and identified with Christ.'

I realized that when I am praying for wisdom, I am asking for Wisdom, who is Jesus! He replaces my natural folly with himself, who is Wisdom, just as he replaces my natural deceit with himself, who is Truth. Talk about a personal relationship! I'm beginning to understand what Paul means when he says, "My life is hid in Christ."


Sunday, January 16, 2011

Dili Tuna Salad, a gourmet discovery!

So how can tuna salad be considered gourmet? Here is what I discovered today!

Growing up, I always liked tuna salad. We made it with tuna, sweet pickle relish and mayo. I still enjoy the convenience of canned tuna for a quick, protein-rich lunch, but the sweet pickle relishes are all laden with high fructose corn syrup these days and mayo doesn't have much at all to recommend it except nice creamy texture and great flavor.

So today, I opened some tuna and remembered what one daughter-in-law does to make it more palatable for her: she adds the freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon. Then I remembered that mayo is mostly oil and vinegar, and lemon juice is a great sub for vinegar! Which led me next to recall the bottle of gourmet olive oil my other daughter-in-law gave me when I realized could combine the lemon juice and olive oil for a healthy mayo sub! I had already been dealing with the sweet relish problem by mincing dill pickles from the health food store (made without nasty chemicals) and adding a packet of stevia.

So here is what I mixed up today and it was do-it-again-delicious! Serves 4-6

Dili (Daughter-in-laws-inspired) Tuna Salad

3 cans tuna, drained well, flaked into bowl
about 1/2 cup minced onion
about 1/2 cup minced dill pickles
1 packet stevia
juice of 1/2 lemon
scant 1/4 cup cold pressed extra virgin very fresh olive oil
2 tablespoons mayo (I will try it without any mayo next time!)
good dash each: salt, pepper, lemon pepper

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Belonging to His Name

"That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and you in him according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thessalonians 1:12

No one ever really belongs to their self. But before the light of truth dawned, before new birth into God's Kingdom, before I became God's child, I thought I was in control of myself-- I believed that lie. In truth, I was an utter slave of Satan, bound to do his will. In the spiritual realm, my name was Chris of Satan, or Chris d'Evil.

Now that I am born again, this time into the family of God, I am under God's authority. He has given me his Name. He has made me Chris of God, or Chris d'Christ. Because my flesh is not yet redeemed, I can still slip into believing that old lie that I am in control of myself. But the truth is my soul is bound forever to Him who both created and then redeemed me from my former cruel master. Christ's authority over me also gives me grace and power to do the works he ordained for me to do before I was ever born, my purpose. I am able to obey him and walk in these good works that bring him glory when I remember I don't belong to myself, but to him who gave me his Name!